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Texas Land Consultants

Part of Ranch Management

Wildlife Consulting

Texas Wildlife Biology Consulting

The habitat and valuation side of ranch management, set out in full. Delivered by a wildlife biologist on staff — not a referral, not a subcontractor with our logo on it — and carried out by the same crew that runs the rest of the property.

Book a Wildlife Valuation ReviewSee the Practices

Why This Is Different

The person who writes the plan is the person who runs the place.

Everyone else in farm and ranch splits this. A broker sells the ranch. A consultant flies in, writes a habitat plan, and invoices. A caretaker mows around it. Nobody owns the outcome, and the plan sits in a drawer until the appraisal district asks a question.

Here those are one person. Lindsay Chunn writes the wildlife management plan, and the firm’s own management operation executes it — the guzzlers get installed, the senderos get cut, the census gets run, and the annual documentation gets filed. Habitat work stops being a report and becomes a work order.

Lindsay Chunn’s background
Lindsay Chunn, wildlife biologist and Director of Property Management

The Core Service

Wildlife management valuation

The single largest recurring cost exposure on a Texas ranch is losing the productivity valuation. Wildlife management use can hold it without running a single head of livestock — and it improves the ground instead of grazing it down.
What is wildlife management valuation?
It is a qualifying agricultural use under the Texas Property Tax Code. Land already carrying a 1-d-1 open-space agricultural valuation can convert to wildlife management use and keep the same valuation — without running livestock, farming, or cutting hay.
Does it lower my taxes further than an ag valuation?
No. It holds the same valuation the land already had. The benefit is keeping that tax treatment while managing the property for wildlife instead of livestock.
Can any property convert?
The land must already be qualified and appraised under a 1-d-1 agricultural valuation at the time of application. Wildlife management is a conversion path, not an entry point — land that has lost its agricultural valuation cannot go straight to wildlife use.
How many practices do I have to perform?
At least three of the seven approved categories, performed annually and documented. Which three depends on the ground, the target species, and what you can realistically sustain.
Who decides whether it qualifies?
The county appraisal district. We prepare, file, implement and document the plan; the district makes the valuation decision. Requirements and minimum acreage vary by county — confirm yours with the district directly.

Practice Design

The seven approved categories

A plan has to name at least three, and they have to actually get done and documented every year. Choosing the right three is the difference between a plan that holds and a plan that lapses.

  1. 01

    Habitat control

    Brush management and sculpting, prescribed burning, native plant establishment — shaping cover and forage rather than clearing.

  2. 02

    Erosion control

    Gully shaping, terracing, streamside management, and the soil-retention work that keeps a place from washing off.

  3. 03

    Predator control

    Managed control where it genuinely supports the target species.

  4. 04

    Supplemental water

    Guzzlers, troughs, spring development, wetland and pond work. Distribution matters more than volume.

  5. 05

    Supplemental food

    Food plots, feeders, and managed grazing that deliberately leaves forage for wildlife.

  6. 06

    Providing shelter

    Nest boxes, brush piles, half-cutting, leaving snags standing where they do the most good.

  7. 07

    Census counts

    Spotlight and camera surveys, incidental observation records, harvest data — the practice that also produces your documentation.

Full Scope

Everything on the wildlife side

  • Wildlife management valuation — converting qualifying open-space (1-d-1) ag land to wildlife management use under the Texas Property Tax Code, so the owner keeps the productivity valuation without running livestock
  • Wildlife management plans written to Texas Parks & Wildlife standards and filed with the county appraisal district
  • Practice design and implementation across the seven approved categories — habitat control, erosion control, predator control, supplemental water, supplemental food, providing shelter, and census counts
  • Annual reporting that documents practices actually performed, so the valuation survives review
  • Managed Lands Deer Program (MLDP) enrollment and administration
  • Deer herd surveys, harvest recommendations, and age-structure management
  • Quail, turkey, and dove habitat work; native grass and forb restoration
  • Browse and forage utilization surveys; carrying capacity and stocking rate analysis
  • Brush management and sculpting plans, prescribed burn planning
  • Water development for wildlife — guzzlers, wetland and pond work
  • Cost-share program navigation (NRCS, EQIP, and comparable programs)
  • Endangered and protected species screening on Edwards Plateau properties
  • Pre-purchase habitat assessment — the highest-leverage product in the firm, sold at the front of a transaction

The Front Door

The Wildlife Valuation Review

A half day on the property with the biologist and a written assessment, for a flat fee. You find out whether your ground is a candidate for wildlife management valuation, what practices would fit it, and what the full plan would cost — before committing to anything.

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The Rest of the Firm

What We Do

Ranch Sales

Farm and ranch brokerage for buyers and sellers who need more than a listing agent with a drone.

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Alongside It

Ranch Management

Boots on the ground for owners who do not live on the property.

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